LOS ANGELES -- The actress who played a mermaid in the movie "Splash" has made a media splash in Los Angeles.

Daryl Hannah was holed up in a walnut tree at an urban garden near downtown Los Angeles for much of the morning Tuesday.

Hannah and activist John Quigley were removed from the tree by firefighters in a cherry picker after protesting the eviction of farmers in an urban garden near downtown Los Angeles. Authorities cut away branches as they worked to remove Hannah and Quigley from their perch in the tree towering over the green swath. Hannah and Quigley raised their fists as they were removed.

"Daryl, we're with you!" protester Jenny Flores yelled through a megaphone from a nearby streeet:

Before a firetruck raised officers into the tree, the actress stated by cell phone: "I'm very confident this is the morally right thing to do, to take a principled stand in solidarity with the farmers."

The sheriff is enforcing an eviction order against everyone there. Several people are under arrest on charges including violating that order and obstructing the deputies. Some of them had to be hauled away on stretchers. Authorities moved against garden occupiers about 5 a.m. By late morning, 14 people were arrested inside the farm and another 25 at the support demonstration outside.

Protesters linked arms and sat on train tracks, drawing officers with helmets and batons. Officers dragged some protesters away while other officers forced supporters back.

Inside the garden, firefighters had to cut free protesters who had chained themselves to the walnut tree, barrels filled with concrete and a picnic table.

"It's a massive show of force," said Quigley. "Our goal is to hold as firm as we can, obviously in a nonviolent manner."

He said perhaps 20 farmers and their supporters were in the urban garden.

Deputies used saws to cut down the chain-link fence around the site. Inside the compound, deputies sawed through chains linking garden supporters. Quigley said he could see sparks flying dangerously close to the people's faces and complained that authorities had removed legal observers from the inside the farm.

For years, about 350 farmers have been using the14-acre land to grow crops and flowers. But the property owner, Ralph Horowitz, now wants to build a warehouse.

Supporters of the 350 farmers who have been working the land say it is the largest urban farm in the country. In recent weeks, several celebrities have spent time at the farm in solidarity with the farmers.

Farm Aid founder and singer Willie Nelson has visited the farm to show support, as have Joan Baez and actors Danny Glover and Amy Smart. Nelson toured the South Central Farm on Sunday afternoon.

Hannah has long been associated with various environmental causes and keeps a video weblog.

Early in her career, Hannah starred in such films as the 1982 sci-fi classic "Blade Runner." But her star rose in 1984 playing a mermaid opposite Tom Hanks in the Ron Howard-directed comedy, "Splash."

Hannah currently stars in the comedy "Keeping Up with Steins." She also recently starred as an assassin in writer-director Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" films, and prior to that, had roles in such hits as "Steel Magnolias," "Wall Street," and the "Grumpy Old Men" movies.

Hannah, 45, is also known for her romantic relationships with the late John F. Kennedy Jr. and musician Jackson Browne.